City Hall Blog

Lyft, which offers ride-sharing via smartphone, to pull into Dallas September 27

Lyft wouldn't confirm it was coming to Dallas last week, after this photo appeared on Facebook. But it's coming. Next week.

Just nine days ago, a spokesperson for San Francisco-based Lyft said that despite a drivers-wanted ad posted on Facebook, the smartphone-connected ride-sharing service was merely “exploring the Dallas market” without a set launch date. But today we’ve learned that Lyft has finalized a date for its Dallas debut: September 27.

The official announcement will likely come at a press conference being planned for next week. And it comes at an interesting time: Just yesterday California’s Public Utilities Commission unanimously OK’d rules that “formally endorse and regulate” such app-ordered car services as Lyft, Sidecar and UberX. California has classified those services as Transportation Network Companies, and created 28 rules and regulations to which they must adhere before being allowed to operate.

As The Los Angeles Times notes, the vote “effectively legalized and legitimized ride-sharing by creating a new regulatory category in which they can operate.” And it thrilled the owners of the burgeoning services, which allow people to use their smartphone to order and pay for rides without having to hail a cab. In the tweeted words of Sidecar co-founder and Chief Executive Sunil Paul, “We are making history here today!”

Meanwhile, of course, Dallas City Hall (with the strong helping hand of Yellow Cab) is still trying to figure out how to curb Uber’s growth in Dallas. When we spoke with Assistant City Manager Joey Zapata about Lyft last week, he wasn’t sure what the city planned to do with the ride-sharing service. Meanwhile, on September 11 former reporter Sarah Dodd registered at 1500 Marilla as Lyft’s official lobbyist. Records show that so far she’s met with council members Scott Griggs and Philip Kingston, who’ve been critical of interim city manager A.C. Gonzalez’s handling of a proposed ordinance rewrite that looks as though it’s intended to drive Uber out of Dallas.

Just last week, the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Transport Council is asking everyone to tap the brakes before laying down the law. California, though, was quite clear about its support for the new services.

“The CPUC is at the forefront of leadership in crafting new safety based regulations for a rapidly
emerging industry,” said CPUC President Michael R. Peevey in a statement released yesterday. “The rules we created today allow Transportation Network Companies to compete with more traditional forms of transportation and for both drivers and consumers to have greater choice within the transportation industry.”

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